System and method for detecting and measuring uplink traffic in signal repeating systems

ABSTRACT

A signal repeating system for a wireless network includes an antenna configured for transceiving signals between a base station and a user equipment device. Repeating circuitry is coupled to the antenna and defines an uplink path for signals from the user equipment device to the base station and a downlink path for signals from the base station to the user equipment device. The repeating circuitry includes gain circuitry and gain control circuitry that is coupled to the gain circuitry. The gain control circuitry is operable for varying the gain of the repeating circuitry according to a waveform. Measurement circuitry measures the receive power in the uplink path over time from the user equipment device. Processing circuitry cross-correlates the inverted gain variation waveform with the measured receive power for determining the existence of traffic from user equipment devices in the uplink path.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation Application of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 12/778,312 on May 12, 2010, entitled “SYSTEM ANDMETHOD FOR DETECTING AND MEASURING UPLINK TRAFFIC IN SIGNAL REPEATINGSYSTEMS”, which application is incorporated herein by reference in itsentirety.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed generally to signal repeating systems,such as repeaters or distributed antenna systems, for wirelesscommunications, and more particularly to a system and method fordetecting uplink traffic from mobile user equipment within thosesystems.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In existing wireless technologies, signal repeating devices, such asrepeaters or distributed antenna systems (DAS), are used to extend thecoverage of an overall wireless system beyond the range of traditionalbase stations. For example, an overall wireless communication system mayconsist of a plurality of base transceiver stations (BTS) or basestations that communicate with each other and with user equipment, suchas cellular phones, to provide a defined coverage area. In such coverageareas, there are often smaller geographical areas that have very lowsignal coverage, as provided by one or more of the base stations. Forexample, such areas of low signal coverage may be within buildings or inareas that are otherwise obstructed, such as by terrain features orman-made structures. Rather than simply implementing another costly andlarge base station to provide coverage in such low signal areas,repeaters and distributed antenna systems are often utilized.

While repeaters and distributed antenna systems (herein collectively,“signal repeating systems”) may adequately extend coverage, it may bedesirable to eventually install a dedicated BTS in order to increase theamount of capacity offered in the area. To that end, it is desirable tobe able to determine the relative loading and traffic of a signalrepeating system so that a building owner or other system operator isaware of the traffic requirements for that wireless environment.

One method of detecting traffic within a mobile network is to utilizethe receive signal strength indication (RSSI) measurement of the powerthat is present in a received radio signal. The RSSI is a well-knownparameter in the operation of signal repeating systems. The RSSI-baseddetection method for determining traffic within a wireless environmentor network is used extensively in GSM repeaters and distributed antennasystems. Usually, the uplink RSSI is utilized to determine the uplinktraffic from mobiles that are within the coverage range of a signalrepeating system. The signal repeating system identifies the channelsused by the adjacent base stations and it then distributes and amplifiesthe signals in order to monitor the equivalent uplink (UL) frequencies.If the RSSI level on a UL channel exceeds a certain threshold, thesystem can detect the UL traffic. The threshold level is usually a levelabove the receiver input noise floor for the signal repeating system.The specific delta with respect to the noise floor depends upon theacceptable probability of having false positive detections, which mightbe triggered by regular thermal noise peaks. In addition to theindependent measurement of the RSSI levels, the signal repeating systemcan determine the RSSI within a certain timeslot by synchronizing itselfwith the base station through the detection of the downlink (DL) signal.Therefore, for such a gated RSSI measurement, the repeater ordistributed antenna system can measure UL activity on atimeslot-per-timeslot basis.

However, while such a methodology works adequately for GSM repeaters anddistributed antenna systems, the implementation of such a trafficdetection and measurement system in a spread spectrum environment, suchas CDMA or WCDMA, is more difficult. Generally, in a CDMA or CDMAnetwork, the mobile devices or other user equipment (UE) devices aredriven so that the transmit power is controlled in order to be close toor below the noise level of the receiving base station. In a typicalconfiguration, the repeater or distributed antenna system operating insuch a network essentially acts to extend the UL receiver of the basestation. In that regard the repeater/DAS experiences the same low levelreceive signal from the user equipment devices. That is, the receivesignal level from those devices is at the noise level, or even below thenoise level, for the repeater/DAS. As such, this makes the use ofRSSI-based uplink traffic detection and measurement generally unfeasiblefor such networks.

There are other mechanisms for determining the uplink traffic within aCDMA system, but those mechanisms require the specific spreading codesthat are used for the various uplink signals received from the mobile UEdevices. However, those spreading codes are known to the base stationsystem, and are not necessarily known by the repeater or DAS. Therefore,a system that incorporates uplink traffic detection that relies uponcorrelation with dynamically-assigned uplink spreading codes generallywill not be a feasible alternative for detecting and measuring uplinktraffic within a repeater or DAS.

Accordingly, there is a need for providing a traffic measurement systemfor a repeater/DAS that can adequately detect and measure the uplinktraffic within a spread spectrum network, such as a CDMA or WCDMAnetwork or another network where the UL signal is at or close to thenoise level of the system.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a repeater system for implementing anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a distributed antenna system forimplementing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a more detailed schematic illustration of a repeater systemfor implementing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3A is a schematic of another repeater system for implementing anembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a more detailed schematic illustration of a distributedantenna system implementing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a schematic of another distributed antenna system forimplementing an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a graphical illustration of the effect of repeater gainvariation on the received power of a base station with UL power controlin operation.

FIG. 6 is a graphical illustration of the effect of repeater gainvariation on the power received at the repeater.

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute apart of this specification, illustrate embodiments of the invention and,together with a general description of the invention given below, serveto explain the principles of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

The present invention incorporates a system and method that utilizes anRSSI-based mechanism to determine the presence of uplink (UL) trafficwithin a CDMA network or other network to measure the strength of thedetected UL traffic. In one aspect of the invention, the gain of asignal repeating system, such as a repeater or DAS, is periodicallyvaried in the uplink direction. The uplink received power, or RSSI, forthe expected uplink channel of the repeating system is measured overtime. For the purposes of measuring the RSSI, a suitable measurementreceiver is utilized. The measurement receiver is tuned to match thecenter frequency and signal bandwidth that is to be measured for thepurposes of the invention. The measurement receiver may be configuredfor receiving either an analog signal or a digital signal within thesignal processing uplink path, and will generally be coupled in thesignal path at a point that precedes the stage providing the gainvariation. The waveform that is utilized to provide the periodic gainvariation in the uplink path is then inverted due to the inverserelationship between the gain and RSSI values and the inverted waveformis then cross-correlated with the received UL time-variant RSSI values.When one or more peaks are detected associated with suchcross-correlation, the level of the peak, or the number of peaks, areanalyzed to determine the amount of traffic in the system. If no peak isdetected, then the system determines that there is no UL traffic in therepeater. Generally, the correlation process might only provide a singlepeak wherein the peak is higher or wider, depending on the amount oftraffic handled by the repeater.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the inventive systemtakes into account that the base station (BTS) may experience anincreased amount of traffic, which will increase the UL input power tothe BTS for the same amount of UL traffic in the repeater/DAS cell,which will inherently increase the transmit power received (RSSI) at theinput to the uplink path of the repeater/DAS. But since the correlationbetween the gain variation waveform and the measured RSSI is sensitiveto the dynamic RSSI change caused by the mobiles in the repeater celland less to the relative to the gain change assumed static BTS loadingthe invention will allow the detection of mobile traffic under differentBTS loading conditions in a similar fashion.

FIGS. 1 and 2 illustrate exemplary signal repeating systems that mayincorporate embodiments of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1, abasic wireless communication system 10, incorporating a signal repeatingsystem 14, is shown. System 10 includes a base station (BTS) 12 thatcommunicates with a repeater system 14 that has at least one donorantenna 16, at least one coverage antenna 18, and processing electronics20 that are coupled between the antennas 16 and 18 to process andamplify the repeated signal. The present invention may be used with MIMOsystems and communication schemes, and thus, may have multiple donorantennas and multiple coverage antennas, as would be understood by aperson of ordinary skill in the art. Therefore, antennas 52, 58 arereflective of one or more antennas. The downlink signals (BTS to mobiledevice/UE) are indicated by direction DL, while the uplink signals(mobile device/UE to BTS) are indicated by direction UL. Accordingly,downlink wireless signals 22 are received from the BTS 12 by the donorantenna 16 of the repeater, and are then amplified, processed, andrepeated through the coverage antenna 18 as downlink signals 22 a. Thedownlink signals 22 a are received by one or more wireless communicationdevices, such as mobile phones or other user equipment (UE) device 24.Similarly, in an uplink direction, as indicated by reference numerals 26and 26 a, the wireless UE devices 24 communicate uplink signals 26 aback to the coverage antenna and the repeated uplink signals 26 are thenprovided back to the BTS 12. Also in the system 10 are UE devices 24 athat communicate with BTS 12 directly rather than through a repeater 14.Such devices 24 a contributed to the overall traffic handled by the BTS12. As will be readily understood by a person of ordinary skill in theart, such signal repeating systems 14 can take many different forms andare not limited only to devices conventionally called “repeaters”.

For example, FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram for anotherexemplary signal repeating system that may implement the invention. Adistributed antenna system (DAS) 30 may be appropriately coupled to aBTS, such as BTS 12 in a wired or wireless fashion. The distributedantenna system 30 might be incorporated into a building environment andincludes a number of remote antenna units 32 that are distributed in theenvironment to provide coverage within a service area of the DAS 30. Inthat way, the remote antenna units 32 service a number of different UEdevices 24 operating in the environment of the DAS 30. Generally, eachremote antenna unit 32 typically includes at least one antenna 36 andsuitable electronics 38. As noted above, if the invention is implementedin a MIMO system, multiple antennas 36 might be used. Therefore,antennas 36 are reflective of one or more antennas. Remote antenna units32 are coupled to one or more master units 40, which combine and processthe signals from the remote antenna units 32 to interface appropriatelywith the BTS 12. A system controller 42 couples to and controls theoperation of each of the master units 40 for handling and processing thesignals 33 associated with the remote antenna units 32. Similar to therepeater system 10 illustrated in FIG. 1, the signals 33 of the remoteantenna units 32 are reflective of the uplink and downlink signals ofthe DAS 30 for communicating with UE devices 24. Such a DAS 30 mayincorporate any number of remote antenna units and master units, andthus, would not be limited to the illustrated example shown in FIG. 2.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, periodic gain variationis provided in the repeater or DAS uplink path. For example, the gain inthe UL path might be varied according to a periodic waveform. Ideally,the periodic gain variation and waveform is synchronized with theframing interval of the spread spectrum network, such as a CDMA network,although such synchronization is not necessary. With the periodic gainvariation, the UL receive power (UL RSSI value) in the selected ULchannel is measured over time by the signal repeating system. Thewaveform that is utilized to periodically vary the gain in the uplinkpath is then cross-correlated with the UL received time-variant RSSIvalues. Based upon such cross-correlation of those signals, theexistence of one or more peaks is determined. If there is no peakdetected, then the signal repeating system would provide an indicationthat there is generally no repeater traffic as the periodic gainvariation would not cause any variation in the uplink RSSI values.However, if the periodic gain variation causes variations in the uplinkRSSI values, then the cross-correlation performed by the signalrepeating system would yield one or more signal peaks. Such peaks are anindication that if there is uplink traffic from UE devices within thecoverage area of the signal repeating system. The level of the peak andits width as well as the energy in the peak if integrated over the timedelay of the cross-correlation may be indicative of the amount oftraffic within the coverage area of the signal repeating system.However, the overall traffic in the BTS can affect the peak levels, asdiscussed below.

In one embodiment of the invention, the measured uplink RSSI valuesmight be averaged according to an averaging scheme over time thatreduces fast RSSI value fluctuations without affecting or reducing thecorrelation peak. The present invention works not only with CDMA-typesignals, but also other system signals and network signals that allowfor the received power at the BTS to be close to the noise floor andeven below the input noise floor of the BTS. For example, OFDM modulatedsystems such as LTE systems might benefit from the present invention.

In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, the periodicgain variation in the signal repeating system is performed withoutsignificantly affecting the noise figure of the signal repeating system.To that end, the gain of the system is varied by changing the gain in anamplification stage of the repeater or DAS that is not very close to theinput of the uplink path. That is, a latter gain stage in the uplinkpath is used for the periodic gain variation. To provide for suitablecross-correlation in accordance with the present invention, a selectedperiodic waveform is used to periodically vary the gain of the UL pathof the signal repeating system. Such a waveform may be adapted to thespecific mobile standard that is used within the signal repeatingsystem. To that end, the periodic gain variation is controlled so thatthe size of the gain variation and its time period is not faster thanthe mobile standard allows or can handle. For example, CDMA mobiledevices can handle 800 power control steps of one dB per second. Assuch, in accordance with one feature of the invention, the implementedperiodic UL gain variation does not exceed that rate of change when theinvention is utilized within a CDMA system. As will be appreciated,other systems will have other gain variation constraints that would beimplemented in the invention.

In one embodiment of the invention, the gain variation is provided byreducing the gain in a periodic fashion in the signal repeating system.For the purposes of the invention, various different waveforms might beutilized to periodically reduce the system gain in the UL path. Forexample, an inverted Sawtooth function with gaps may be used as apossible periodic gain variation function. The present inventionprovides maximization of the cross-correlation peak between the invertedgain variation function and measured UL input RSSI. To that end, in oneaspect of the invention, the gain variation function may be aligned inphase and frequency with the mobile standard (e.g. CDMA). In accordancewith another feature of the invention, the sensitivity of the trafficdetection may be increased by averaging multiple consecutive (i.e.several consecutive frames) cross-correlation curves. The periodicnature of the gain variation allows such averaging of thecross-correlation curves. To that end, the length of the data that ismeasured is ideally an integer multiple of a frame length of theparticular mobile standard, such as the CDMA standard.

The bandwidth and center frequency settings of the RSSI measurementreceiver will depend on the used channel and expected standard. The usedchannel and standard can be determined through the detection anddecoding of the equivalent DL signal using a decoding receiver. This DLsignal decoding does not necessarily have to be performed with adedicated receiver as the standard is not expected to change. A scanningDL decoding receiver would be sufficient.

In cases in which the repeater/DAS system processes a variety ofstandards a sub-band architecture will allow a different gain variationin time or in amplitude within two or more different sub-bands. Asub-band is a section within the RF band that represents a subset of theentire bandwidth. There can be multiple sub-bands with the RF band.Sub-bands might be adjacent to each other or have a section between themwith no amplification. In the implementation of the sub-bands a surfaceacoustic wave filter (SAW) might be used to define the sub-band. In adigital implementation of the invention, a digital filter such as a FIRfilter or IIR filter could be used instead to define the sub-band. Thiswill allow optimizing the cross-correlation function for each standard.For each sub-band, only one mobile communication standard is allowed foroptimization.

FIGS. 3, 3A, 4, and 4A illustrate detailed schematics of possibleimplementations of the invention. FIGS. 3 and 3A illustrate repeatersystems. FIGS. 4 and 4A illustrate implementation within a DAS system,as illustrated in FIG. 1. Like reference numerals are used for likeelements in the various Figures.

Referring to FIG. 3, a schematic block diagram of a repeater 50 isillustrated. FIG. 3 shows the uplink path (UL) 62 for the repeater forillustration purposes. It will be readily understood that the repeater50 also incorporates a suitable downlink (DL) path 64 that would usesome similar components as the downlink paths between the BTS 12 anddevices 24. Diplexers 55, 95 are utilized to handle the UL and DL pathsthrough the antennas 52, 58. A repeater 50 incorporates a receiveantenna 52 (or coverage antenna) for processing input signals 54 fromone or more mobile UE devices 24. The input signals 54 represent theinput signals from the UE devices 24 that are to be repeated. Thus,signals 54 represent the UE traffic to be detected in accordance withthe invention. The repeated transmit signals 56 illustrated in FIG. 3include the transmitted signals or signal portions that are directed inthe uplink to BTS 12 by a coverage antenna 58. Throughout theapplication, the terms “signal” or “signals” are used interchangeablyherein to refer to the signal(s) handled by the signal repeating systemand are not limited to just a single signal or plurality of signals.

For proper signal repeating, repeater 50 includes suitable electronics60 that are operably coupled between the antennas 52, 58. Generally,such electronics will include gain control circuitry 84 that provides adesired or selected gain G in the repeater and processing 72 andcorrelation 100 circuitry to implement the invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the repeater circuitry 20 might process the signalsin the analog domain in accordance with aspects of the invention.Alternatively, electronics 20 of the repeater might provide the variousaspects of the invention in the digital domain.

Turning again to FIG. 3, as noted, that figure sets forth a schematicdiagram with respect to one embodiment of the invention in the form of arepeater device. It will be understood by one of ordinary skill in theart that the features of the invention might be incorporated in othersignal repeating systems, such as a distributed antenna system, asillustrated in FIGS. 2, 4, and 4A. As noted, components are shown in anuplink path 62 in the repeater 50. Various similar components will existin the downlink path 64 for handling downlink traffic between wirelessUE devices 24 and a BTS 12 for example. Accordingly, various componentswithin the uplink path 62 will be described herein in further detailwith the assumption that some similar functionality and components wouldbe utilized in the downlink path 64 as well, although the periodic gainvariation of the invention might only be used in the uplink path.

Receive or coverage antenna 52 receives the input traffic signals 54from UE devices 24. Those signals 54 are coupled through diplexer 55 toa low noise amplifier (LNA) 66 for amplifying uplink the RF receivesignals from device 24. A mixer component 68 is fed by an appropriatelocal oscillator (LO) signal and converts the RF receive signal 54 to anintermediate frequency (IF) signal at a different IF frequency or afrequency at or near the baseband frequency for ease of later processingin the repeater 50. The signal may then be filtered by an appropriatefilter component or circuitry 70. In the embodiment illustrated in FIG.3, the repeater circuitry incorporates both analog and digitalcomponents. Digital signal processing circuitry 72 is implemented forproviding the filtering and further frequency conversion of the signals,as well as for periodically adjusting gain and for providing thenecessary cross-correlation and signal processing to detect UL trafficin accordance with the invention. Appropriately, an ND converter circuit74 converts the analog signal to an appropriate digital signal forfurther digital processing. The DSP circuitry 72 might be an FPGA, ASIC,digital signal processor or other such element. The DSP circuitry mightinclude an additional digital mixer circuit 76 fed by a suitablenumerically-controlled oscillator (NCO) signal to provide digitaldownconversion for ease of further processing. The signal might also befiltered by an appropriate digital filter 78. Filter 78 might alsochange the amplitude of the signal. Gain circuitry 80 or amplificationcircuitry provides gain amplification to the repeated signals.Components 80 and 84 represent suitable circuitry for periodicallyadjusting or varying the gain within repeater 50 for the invention. Thesignals might then be digitally upconverted by appropriate digitalupconversion circuitry 86 fed by a transmit NCO. The signals may then beconverted back to analog signals by D/A circuitry 88.

Various of the gain and filtering aspects illustrated in the digitalcircuitry 72 of FIG. 3 might also be implemented in an analog fashion.FIG. 3A shows an analog repeater for implementing the present invention.Like reference numerals are utilized for those components similarbetween FIGS. 3 and 3A. Therein, gain stages 81, 82, and 83 might beimplemented in an analog fashion with analog filters, such as SAWfilters 85 and 87 providing the desired filtering. In the embodimentillustrated in FIG. 3A, the correlation circuitry 100 might still beimplemented by appropriate digital signal processing (DSP) circuitry.Also, certain portions of the gain control circuitry 84 might beimplemented digitally.

The analog signals, such as at analog IF, are further upconverted withmixer circuitry 90 fed by an appropriate transmit LO to an appropriateRF signal. The RF signal is filtered by filter circuitry 92, and thenfed to an RF power amplifier 94 before being transmitted as a repeatedsignal 56 through the transmit or donor antenna 58. The various mixingand filter elements are typical of a repeater. There can be more orfewer mixing elements than illustrated in the examples and stillimplement a functional repeater.

In the embodiments illustrated in FIGS. 3, 3A, the notedcross-correlation functionality is provided by suitable processingcircuitry and correlation circuitry 100, such as within the digitalsignal processing (DSP) circuitry 72, or otherwise implement digitally,as in FIG. 3A. The cross-correlations to determine UL traffic areperformed by capturing samples 102 of the signals in the UL path at theUL input and providing RSSI values reflective of the receive power ofthe signals at the UL input for the cross-correlation.

Accordingly, as illustrated in FIGS. 3-4A, a suitable measurementreceiver 101 is utilized to capture signals in the uplink path and toprovide RSSI values reflective of the received power of such signals.The bandwidth and center frequency of the RSSI measurement receiver 101are turned and configured to detect the RF signal of interest.Therefore, the bandwidth and center frequency would depend on the usedchannel and the expected standard for the signal. The used channel andstandard may be determined through the detection decoding of theequivalent downlink signal such as by using a decoding receiver. Thedownlink signal decoding would not necessarily have to be performed witha dedicated receiver, as the signal standard would not be expected tochange. A scanning downlink decoding receiver would be sufficient. Oneexample of such decoding receiver 105 is illustrated in the downlinkpath 64 of the figures. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the capture point forthe signal is illustrated close to the coverage antenna wherein anappropriate coupler 107 captures the signal that is then directed to themeasurement receiver 101. For the purposes of the invention, the capturepoint for such data can be anywhere between the coverage antenna and theamplification stage that performs the periodic gain changes.Accordingly, as illustrated in FIG. 3A, the capture point is indicatedfollowing filter 70. Accordingly, the capture point can be directed atvarious different points along the uplink path, with the condition thatit is before the components or stages that perform the periodic gainchanges. The measurement receiver 101 can either be implemented asanalog circuitry with an A/D converter to provide the digitized measuredRSSI to the correlation circuitry or as digital circuitry on a repeatersystem with digital signal processing where the input to the measurementreceiver is captured at a point after the A/D converter 74.

In the illustrated embodiments, the correlation circuitry 100 coupled tothe measurement receiver 101 samples the RSSI values for repeated signal102 via suitable connections and is also coupled to obtain informationregarding the waveform 104 used in the repeater path to periodicallyvary the UL gain. It will be understood by a person of ordinary skill inthe art that the various different functionalities discussed within thecorrelation circuitry 100 digital signal processing circuitry 72 mightbe implemented in a number of different ways to achieve thefunctionality of the invention. Accordingly, the illustrations of FIGS.3-4A are not limiting with respect to the DSP circuitry. That is, thespecific details regarding how the various components are utilized andarranged within DSP circuitry 72, or the analog and digital circuitry 72a, and the overall repeater or DAS circuitry of FIGS. 3-4A areillustrative, and not meant to be limiting.

FIGS. 4 and 4A illustrate implementation of the invention within adistributed antenna system, particularly within a remote antenna unitcomponent 38. In the embodiment of FIG. 4, digital circuitry is utilizedfor implementing the gain and gain control within the system.Furthermore, for putting signals in the necessary form for serialtransmission, such as back to a master unit, the digital signalcircuitry 72 of FIG. 4 utilizes the necessary signal processing element78A and conversion circuitry 79 for providing the necessaryparallel-to-serial conversion and framing. As would be understood by aperson of ordinary skill in the art, digital transceiver circuit 91 willfurther process the signals for transmission over suitable media, suchas optical fiber or other media 93.

FIG. 4 illustrates another embodiment of the invention implementedwithin a remote unit of the distributed antenna system, wherein theprocessing circuitry 72 a incorporates analog and digital components.For example, an analog filter 97 might be utilized with a suitableanalog gain stage 83. Mixing stage 68 is another optional component thatcan be used to down-convert the RF signal.

In accordance with one aspect of the invention, it is desirable toprovide the periodic uplink gain variation without affecting the overallnoise figure of the signal repeating system. This might be achieved inone embodiment by varying the gain in a gain stage that is not veryclose to the UL input. Referring to FIGS. 3, 3A, the gain component 80of the repeater 50 might incorporate various amplification or gainstages, illustrated by gain stages 81, 82, and 83. The last gain stage83 that is farthest from the UL input from the coverage antenna 52 mightbe coupled with appropriate gain control circuitry 84 in order toperiodically vary the gain in accordance with the invention. To thatend, gain stage 83 is appropriately coupled via connection 106 with thegain control circuitry 84.

In an alternative embodiment of the invention wherein the repeater orDAS system processes a variety of standards, a sub-band architecture isutilized to allow the different gain variation in time or in amplitudewithin two or more different sub-bands. For example, as illustrated inthe figures, the circuitry which captures uplink signals, processesthose signals in accordance with the invention, and then providesperiodic gain variation might be configured to do so for one or moredifferent sub-bands. A sub-band is a section within the RF band ofinterest that represents a sub-set of the entire bandwidth. It can bemultiple sub-bands with the RF band, as noted above. In the circuitry,the suitable filtering circuitry might be configured and utilized todefine the particular sub-bands for an analog implementation. Asillustrated in the figures for analog processing, a surface acousticwave filter (SAW) might be used to define the sub-band. Digitally, adigital filter such as an FIR filter or IIR filter could be used todefine the sub-band. The cross-correlation function then provided by theappropriate correlation circuitry 100 of the invention may be optimizedfor each standard. For each sub-band, only one mobile communicationstandard is allowed for optimization.

As noted, in one embodiment of the invention, the periodic gainvariation includes a periodic gain decrease in the signal repeatingsystem. That is, the gain is lowered in the UL path 62 on a periodicbasis and according to a suitable waveform. The invention is not limitedto a particular periodic gain reduction waveform. Gain control circuitry84 provides the necessary waveform and specific control of at least oneof the gain stages, such as gain stage 83, in order to accomplish theperiodic reduction in the gain in the repeater UL path.

It will be appreciated that reducing the gain of a repeating system mayaffect mobile UE devices that are on the fringe of the repeating systemcell. Therefore, the time that the repeater is maintained at low gainvalues is preferably kept short. In accordance with existing powercontrol schemes associated with spread spectrum networks, such as CDMAnetworks, upon reducing the gain of a repeater, the receive signal(RSSI) at the BTS 12 from repeater 50 is also reduced. Accordingly, theBTS 12 will order the mobile UE devices 24 to increase their outputpower or transmit power thus providing increased uplink RSSI values atthe repeater 50, as needed by the BTS 12. The increased power signalsfrom the mobile UE devices are sampled in time and user by thecorrelation circuitry 100 via path 102 where the time-variant RSSIvalues are cross-correlated with the inverted gain control waveform 104.Based upon the existence of traffic in the uplink path of the repeater50, increased power signals from UE devices will cross-correlate withthe inverted periodic gain variations and the correlation circuitry 100will yield one or more peaks. Higher peaks may indicate a greater amountof traffic being handled in the uplink path of the repeater. If there isno peak detected, it is generally concluded that there is no repeatertraffic in the system at that time. As noted, the gain variation andcross-correlation is periodic and short-lived in order to notsignificantly deplete battery power from the mobile UE devices or tootherwise reduce the capacity of the BTS 12 or other base stationsadjacent to BTS12 which may now hear the mobile devices that aretransmitting at higher transmit power levels.

In order to implement the maximization of the cross-correlation peaksbetween the periodic gain variation function and the measured UL inputRSSI, the invention might utilize specific mechanisms, such as alignmentof the gain variation function in phase and frequency with that of themobile standard, such as the CDMA standard. Furthermore, the sensitivityof the traffic detection methodology disclosed herein could takeadvantage of the periodic nature of the gain variation and the DSP 72may average multiple consecutive cross-correlation curves. That is,correlation curves may be averaged by the DSP 72 or circuitry 100 acrossseveral consecutive frames within the mobile standard. In one aspect ofthe invention, the data is measured in a period that is an integermultiple of the frames within the mobile standard.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the circuitry of theinvention optimizes the correlation peak provided by correlationcircuitry 100 by varying the overall gain plateau around which theperiodic gain variations are performed. For example, the UL gain plateauor average gain is reduced overall so that when the mobile UE devicesare transmitting at a higher output power (periodic reduced repeatergain), the received uplink RSSI at the repeater input will be higher andmore distinct as compared to the overall noise floor or noise level ofthe repeater.

In reducing the UL average gain, it may be necessary to take intoaccount mobiles that may be on the fringe of the repeater or DAS cell,or on the fringe of whatever coverage area the signal repeating systemprovides. For such fringe mobile UE devices, the increase in outputpower might not be possible, as they may already be transmitting atmaximum power. Since the gain variation provided by the invention isperiodic, there may still be sufficient time with the repeater at ahigher gain such that the fringe UE devices may continue to maintaintheir connectivity with the BTS 12. However, it may be difficult todetect those fringe mobiles utilizing the present invention. However, inthe general case, the signal repeating system may have a lower downlinkoutput power similar to the BTS, which limits the repeating system cellradius at the downlink so that the uplink path might still have asufficient RF power adjustment range in order to allow the fringe UEdevices and the traffic therefrom to be measured in accordance with theinvention.

The detection process of the present invention, and specifically thecorrelation peaks between the time-variant RSSI associated with theuplink traffic and the inverted gain variation function or waveformdepend upon the amount of mobile UE devices (i.e., traffic) that are inthe coverage area for a signal repeating system for a given average gainof that system. However, the correlation peak also depends on the amountof direct traffic that is seen overall by the BTS. As will beappreciated, a BTS will generally be handling uplink signals from thoserepeating systems in its coverage area, but also will be handling directuplink signals from the UE devices area that do not pass through therepeater. In order to determine the proper amount of traffic and to notoverestimate repeater traffic, the invention takes into account thedirect traffic on the BTS with respect to the correlation peakmeasurements that are made in accordance with the invention.

When a large number of mobile UE devices 24 directly transmit to the BTS12, the noise level or noise figure of the BTS increases. Based upon theincrease of the noise level, the BTS 12 will instruct the UE devices 24to transmit with a higher transmit power so that their signals are notlost in the noise. This higher transmit power level also results forthose UE devices that are handled through the repeater or DAS.Accordingly, by detecting the UL traffic in that repeater or DAS,according to the invention, the higher UE transmit power valuestranslate into higher RSSI values at the repeater and thus, will resultin higher correlation peaks even if the average UL gain remains the sameand the gain variation waveform remains the same.

Referring to FIGS. 5 and 6, FIG. 5 illustrates the impact of therepeater gain in the uplink path on the BTS receiver RSSI, for differentloading of the BTS. Where in FIG. 5 the BTS input power P_(in) riseswith increase repeater gain in the U.L., the BTS is desensitized due tothe noise transmitted by the repeater or DAS and received at the BTSreceiver input. As illustrated, as the gain of the repeater increases,the BTS receiver RSSI (P_(in)) increases even without the presence of amobile or UE signal within the repeater or DAS cell. Similarly, fordifferent loading of the BTS and constant gain of the repeater or DAS,the curves of FIG. 4 illustrate an overall increase in the power intothe BTS receiver, as reflected by an increased RSSI due to the multitudeof received signals from active mobiles in the BTS cell which representinterference for the next considered mobile.

However, for the power received from one mobile or UE by the repeater orDAS system (RSSI), that measured value (P_(in)) will increase as therepeater uplink gain is reduced, as shown in FIG. 6. That is, when therepeater gain is reduced, the RSSI of the mobile or UE within therepeater cell received via DAS or repeater at the base station 12 isreduced and the base station orders the UE devices to increase theirtransmit power. This results in an overall increase in RSSI (P_(in))received in the UL path of the repeater or DAS remote unit, as shown inFIG. 6. Also illustrated in FIG. 6 is the increased power associatedwith the loading at the base station. In the graph of FIG. 6, theincrease of the measured RSSI level based on decreased repeater gainwould generally only be noticeable in those cases where there are activeUE devices in the repeating system cell. The inverse relationshipbetween the measured input power at the uplink path of the receiver andthe repeater gain is reflected by Equation 1:

$P_{{in},{rep}} = {\frac{n \cdot \left\lbrack {S/\left( {N + I} \right)} \right\rbrack_{req} \cdot \left( {N_{BTS} + I_{traffic}} \right)}{G \cdot {PL}_{donor}} + {\left( {{n \cdot \left\lbrack {S/\left( {N + I} \right)} \right\rbrack_{req}} + 1} \right) \cdot N_{rep}}}$

-   -   [S/(N+I)]_(req) Signal-to-Noise ratio for mobile/UE required at        BTS input (linear value)    -   n Amount of mobiles in the repeater cell (linear value, assuming        that each mobile arrives at the same power level at the repeater        input due to BTS power control mechanisms)    -   N_(BTS) Equivalent input noise of the BTS (linear value in Watt)    -   I_(traffic) Factor representing the sum of other mobiles/UEs        representing the BTS load (linear value in Watt)    -   N_(rep) Equivalent input noise of repeater (linear value in        Watt)    -   G: Repeater gain (linear value)    -   PL_(donor) Path Loss Repeater to/from BTS (linear value)    -   P_(in,rep) Measured Input power at the Repeater UL Input in the        Presence of at least one mobile/UE in the Repeater Cell (linear        value in Watt)        The above formula shows that the measured input power from one        (n=1) mobile/UE in the repeater cell goes up if the repeater        gain is reduced.    -   N_(total,BTS): Total input noise of BTS (linear value in Watt)

N _(total,BTS) =N _(BTS) +I _(traffic) +N _(rep) ·G·PL _(donor)

The above formula calculates the total input noise at the base stationincluding the equivalent input noise due to the noise figure of the BTS,the input power due to the other mobile acting as interference, and thereceived output noise from the repeater. The output noise from therepeater is calculated from the equivalent input noise due to therepeater noise figure multiplied by the repeater gain and reduced due tothe path loss from the repeater to the BTS. In the following graphs thecount of mobiles in the repeater cell is one.

The change of the cross-correlation peak over time at a constantamplitude of the gain change waveform will give an indicator of changingmobile traffic through the repeater. This is based upon the assumptionthat the slope of the curve of FIG. 6 remains approximately the samewith different loading on the BTS. This is the case for lower repeatergain numbers. As the cross-correlation peak is dominated by the dynamicnature of the RSSI that is related to the repeater or DAS UL gain changethe height of the peak is a good indication of the mobile or UE trafficthrough the repeater.

In accordance with an aspect of the invention, the BTS traffic andloading is taken into account. To that end, as illustrated in FIGS. 3,3A, a modem or mobile device 110 is coupled to the donor antenna of therepeater or the closest possible point to the donor base station. Device110 provides a measurement of the transmit power that is required fromthe mobile or UE device by the base station. The measured requiredtransmit power may then be utilized by DSP 72 or other circuitry 100 ofsystem 50, and any increase of the required mobile transmit powermeasured with device 110 would be due to increased loading on the BTS12. This feature of the invention requires generally two conditions.First, the path loss to repeater system 50 must be determined veryaccurately through the downlink pilot (DL) signal measurement.Typically, the downlink and uplink frequencies are relatively close toeach other so that the path loss changes in the downlink resulting fromdifferent propagation conditions should represent the expected changesfor the uplink path as well, provided that the equalizer in both theuplink and downlink directions works similarly to reduce the impact ofany multi-path propagation. Secondly, the BTS signal degradation that isrelated to the repeater system must not change significantly over time.This would generally be the case if the uplink gain is controlled by thedownlink received pilot signal strength, assuming a constant noisefigure for the repeater. As such, the measurement provided by device 110at the donor antenna of the repeater provides an indication of anincreased loading on the BTS, and may be used by DSP 72 to affect thedetection of traffic and the amount of traffic.

Accordingly, the invention provides a method to determine the presenceof uplink traffic in a repeater or DAS system over time. Although it isdifficult to determine the amount of active mobiles handled by therepeater system at a given time, the present invention provides theability to measure the presence of uplink traffic over time and todetermine the percentage of mobile traffic within a specific timeinterval. From this percentage of mobile traffic, a repeater cellloading can be determined because the likelihood of two mobile devicealways transmitting at the same time is relatively low. The relativeloading determined by the present invention allows the determination ofheavy or light loading for that repeater system cell. As noted above, ifheavy loading is determined over a longer time interval, the owner ofthe signal repeating system, such as the owner of a building having arepeater or DAS, will have an indication that a dedicated BTSinstallation might be required to increase the amount of capacityoffered in the area of interest.

In accordance with another aspect of the invention, the detection andprocessing circuitry may take into account the overall BTS traffic toadjust the measurement by looking at all of the variouscross-correlation peaks over time. The DSP monitors the detected peak orpeaks, and, if a lower peak or a smaller area under the peak, or a smallnumber of peaks are detected, the system will indicate a lower level ofrepeater traffic. As noted above, the invention might yield only asingle peak in the correlation. For higher levels of traffic, the peakmight be higher or wider, and might consist of multiple individual peaksthat overlap. The individual peaks will be caused by individual mobilesthat are slightly different in their transmit power adjustment followingthe BTS and system command to increase transmit power. The adjustment inpower might have a different offset for each individual step and mobileso that the peak width and amplitude might vary over time. It isexpected that, for a constant amount of active mobile devices, the areabelow the peak will stay the same. However, if a large number of peaksare detected, but at lower peak levels, higher traffic is indicated. Assuch, the number of peaks is utilized by the invention, rather than thepeak levels to determine whether a high traffic or low traffic conditionexists. The signal repeating system of the invention may provideindications through user outputs, such as screens or displays 112regarding the detected traffic and the level thereof.

While the present invention has been illustrated by the description ofthe embodiments thereof, and while the embodiments have been describedin considerable detail, it is not the intention of the applicant torestrict or in any way limit the scope of the appended claims to suchdetail. Additional advantages and modifications will readily appear tothose skilled in the art. Therefore, the invention in its broaderaspects is not limited to the specific details representative apparatusand method, and illustrative examples shown and described. Accordingly,departures may be made from such details without departure from thespirit or scope of applicant's general inventive concept.

What is claimed is:
 1. A signal repeating system for a wireless networkcomprising: at least one first antenna configured for transceivingsignals with at least one user equipment device; repeating circuitrycoupled to the at least one first antenna and defining an uplink pathfor signals from the user equipment device back to a base station, therepeating circuitry including circuitry for varying the level of signalshandled in the uplink path; control circuitry in the repeating circuitrythat is operable to control how the level of signals in the uplink pathare varied; measurement circuitry for measuring, over time, the receivepower in the uplink path in a particular frequency band where traffic isexpected from the at least one user equipment device; processingcircuitry for comparing a signal associated with the uplink path levelvariation with the measured receive power for determining the existenceof traffic from user equipment devices in the uplink path.
 2. The signalrepeating system of claim 1 wherein the repeating circuitry has gaincircuitry for varying the gain of signals handled in the uplink path,the control circuitry being operable for varying the gain of therepeating circuitry according to a waveform.
 3. The signal repeatingsystem of claim 1 wherein the processing circuitry evaluates at leastone peak resulting from the comparison of the signal associated with theuplink path level variation and the measured received power fordetermining the existence of traffic from user equipment devices in theuplink path.
 4. The signal repeating system of claim 1 furthercomprising a device operable for measuring a transmit power requiredfrom the at least one user equipment device by the base station fortransceiving signals with the base station, the processing circuitryevaluating the transmit power measurement, along with results of thecomparison of the signal associated with the uplink path level variationand the measured received power, for determining the existence oftraffic from user equipment devices in the uplink path.
 5. The signalrepeating system of claim 1 wherein the variation of the level ofsignals handled in the uplink path is synchronized with a parameter ofthe wireless network.
 6. The signal repeating system of claim 1 whereinthe variation of the levels of signals handled in the uplink path isaligned, in at least one of phase or frequency, with a standard of thewireless network.
 7. The signal repeating system of claim 1 wherein thecircuitry for varying the level of signals handled in the uplink pathhas multiple stages, the control circuitry coupled in the repeatingcircuitry at a stage in the uplink path spaced from the antenna.
 8. Thesignal repeating system of claim 2 wherein the control circuitry isfurther operable for varying an average gain of the gain circuitry. 9.The signal repeating system of claim 1 further comprising at least oneof a second antenna or a wire media link coupled with the repeatingcircuitry and operable for communicating with a base station.
 10. Thesignal repeating system of claim 9 further comprising a master unitconfigured for communicating with the base station, a wire media linkcoupling the repeating circuitry with the master unit.
 11. A distributedantenna system for a wireless network comprising: a master unitconfigured for communicating with a base station; at least one remoteunit; wire media link coupling the at least one remote unit and masterunit; the at least one remote unit including: at least one antennaconfigured for transceiving signals with at least one user equipmentdevice; repeating circuitry coupled between the at least one antenna anddefining an uplink path for signals from the user equipment device to abase station, the repeating circuitry including circuitry for varyingthe level of signals handled in the uplink path; control circuitry inthe repeating circuitry that is operable to control how the level ofsignals in the uplink path are varied; measurement circuitry formeasuring, over time, the receive power in the uplink path in aparticular frequency band where traffic is expected from the at leastone user equipment device; processing circuitry for comparing a signalassociated with the uplink path level variation with the measuredreceive power for determining the existence of traffic from userequipment devices in the uplink path.
 12. A method for determining theexistence of traffic in a signal repeating system for a wirelessnetwork, the method comprising: transceiving signals between a basestation and at least one user equipment device through a signalrepeating system having an uplink path for signals from the userequipment device to the base station; varying the level of signalshandled in the uplink path; measuring, over time, the receive power inthe uplink path in a particular frequency where traffic is expected fromthe at least one user equipment device; comparing a signal associatedwith the uplink path level variation with the measured receive power fordetermining the existence of traffic from user equipment devices in theuplink path.
 13. The method of claim 12 further comprising varying thegain of signals handled in the uplink path and varying the gainaccording to a waveform.
 14. The method of claim 12 further comprisingevaluating at least one peak resulting from the comparison of the signalassociated with the uplink path level variation and the measuredreceived power for determining the existence of traffic from userequipment devices in the uplink path.
 15. The method of claim 12 furthercomprising measuring a transmit power required from the at least oneuser equipment device by the base station for transceiving signals withthe base station and evaluating the transmit power measurement, alongwith results of the comparison of the signal associated with the uplinkpath level variation and the measured received power, for determiningthe existence of traffic from user equipment devices in the uplink path.16. The method of claim 12 further comprising synchronizing thevariation of the level of signals handled in the uplink path with aparameter of the wireless network.
 17. The method of claim 12 furthercomprising aligning the variation of the levels of signals handled inthe uplink path, in at least one of phase or frequency, with a standardof the wireless network.
 18. The method of claim 13 further comprisingcomparing the signal associated with the uplink path level variationwith the measured receive power to provide multiple curves and averagingthe multiple curves.
 19. The method of claim 12 further comprisingvarying the level of signals handled in the signal path at a stage inthe uplink path that is spaced from an input to the uplink path.
 20. Themethod of claim 13 further comprising varying an average gain of thesignals handled in the uplink path in addition to varying the gainaccording to a waveform.